Barnardo’s Charity Garden 2024

Each year we commit to creating a garden space for a  worthy cause. This year we connected with Barnardo’s and St Helena’s Family Resource Centre in Finglas to create a safe, relaxing social and mediative space for the centre’s users and staff.

What had previously been a community vegetable garden with poly tunnels and raised beds became neglected after it was vandalised several times. In the words of one local volunteer: we just gave up. It wasn’t worth fighting anymore. To address this, the O’Brien’s team put together a plan for a mediative space that would provide a safe retreat, while limiting the amount on ongoing maintenance that would be required.

The design for the site included three seating spaces, one for socialisation, one for contemplation and one for retreat. We also included a small water feature to add to the atmosphere. Based loosely on a Mediterranean gravel garden, the scheme includes robust gabion seating and low maintenance shrub and herbaceous planting. An old wall that formed part of the original house was also cleared to provide an interesting backdrop. To tackle the vandalism issue we decided to install mesh fencing with a lockable gate. An existing cherry tree was also framed with a gabion seat and under planted with shade species.

We were delighted to have been able to positively contribute to the lives of the staff and users of St Helena’s and hope the new space will provide them with a much needed resource.

We would like to express our thanks to our many supporters who helped us deliver this  year’s charity garden build. Special thanks Ridgeway, Clonee Sawmills, Pannebakker, and Ballylusk Gravel. Although we weren’t able to avail of his offer, we’d like to thanks Thomas Curtis of Kilsaran.

We also like to thank our our guys who made it happen. Particularly Sanders and Victor, Colum Downey, Ollie and Martin, Colin, James, Joe, Sam, Karl and everyone else who lent a hand of support.